Simulated war games have been carried out by military personnel and civilians for many years for training and entertainment purposes. In order to carry out these simulations safely and effectively, players engage one another while donning protective gear and equipped with war-simulative weaponry, such as paintball guns, paint pellet guns, laser guns, and/or water guns. These games or simulations may be carried out in a variety of settings or arenas. Often times, such exercises are performed in heavily wooded areas or forests where players can hide behind trees and camouflage themselves to blend in and not be detected by the opposing players. The exercises may easily be carried out on outdoor or indoor fields or arenas designed with any number of artificial bunkers to otherwise provide cover for players to avoid being targeted and thus “hit” with war-simulative ammunition, such as paintballs, paint pellets, lasers, water, and the like.
The growing popularity of such sporting activity is reflected in the continued development of games, systems, and apparatuses as further reflected in a number of patent disclosures made to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For example, the reader is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,371 ('371 patent), which issued to Sanders, and discloses a Water Targeting Game. The '371 patent teaches a water targeting game comprising three major elements, namely, a targeting vest, a water gun, and an obstruction maze wherein the game is played. The targeting vest includes a front vest and a back vest that are joined together at their upper peripheral edge by a pair of adjustable shoulder straps and that are adjusted at a person's waist by a pair of waist straps. Between the two vests is a cavity and on the front section of the vest, is located a plurality of water collecting openings that serve as targets. When playing the game, the water gun emits a stream of water that is aimed at the openings from where the water falls into the cavity. The water collected in the cavities is viewed through a sealed vertical window that is also located on the vest's front section. Notably, the '371 patent further teaches an obstruction maze constructed of an air inflatable structure that is maintained in an inflatable configuration by a continuous flow of air. In this last regard, the reader is directed to FIG. 12 of the '371 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,373 ('373 patent), which also issued to Sanders, discloses a Water-Tag Game Played within a Maze. From an inspection of the '373 patent, it will be seen that disclosed is a maze structure having an outer perimeter wall enclosing a plurality of sections and protrusions. An opening in the maze structure functions to admit players armed with water guns. Once inside the maze structure, the players circulate among the sections and the protrusions, firing their water guns at one another. The maze structure is inflated when the game is being played and may be deflated for storage or transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,580 ('580 patent), which issued to Hamet, discloses Adaptable Playing Fields with Ventilated Structures. The '580 patent teaches paintball playing fields characterized by envelope elements fastened together creating a continuous interior volume filled with air, under a predetermined air pressure. A motor furnishes air to compensate for losses of pressure in the elements of the field. As noted by the '580 patent, artificial paintball obstacles, in the form of inflatable structures, may typically be inflated at the beginning of a game and placed strategically in previously chosen positions. The main inconvenience of inflatable paintball obstacles, as noted by the '580 patent, is their weight. In order to be airtight (and thus inflatable), thick material like tarpaulin is necessary, with welded or vulcanized seams between the different obstacles. The obstacles, as a whole, are therefore heavy, expensive, and difficult to repair during use. The '580 patent thus attempts to overcome the noted disadvantages by providing a ventilated paintball playing field characterized by empty envelope elements fastened together to create a continuous interior volume filled with air under a predetermined pressure, and a means to compensate for any loss of pressure.
It will thus be seen that the prior art provides an envelope or manifold structure along the entire periphery of a playing field having air feed tubes extending out therefrom and into various ventilated obstacles or ventilated bunkers. Air is typically fed into the manifold and supplied to the bunkers through the feed tubes by a remotely placed fan or blower and thus a certain air pressure is maintained within the manifold system. The system, however, is cumbersome to setup, noisy, and inconvenient. In order to properly function, the manifold, feed tubes, and bunkers have to be connected to one another (e.g. by zipper means) so as to provide a continuous interior volume. Players engaged in the activity, however, are highly mobile and thus often trip over feed tubes while carrying out combat exercises. Moreover, the noise from the fan and generator is a constant nuisance. Further, the bunkers or obstacles tend to quickly deflate upon deactivation of the pressure maintenance means or when the deactivation means become otherwise disconnected from the manifold system. Further, Hamet's fan-driven systems are made of very lightweight fabrics and are therefore prone to tearing under the players foot traffic, and rapidly deteriorate through normal usage. Ultraviolet electromagnetic energy further wreak havoc on the fabrics in a matter of several months exposure. Further, the Hamet seams are sewn and taped in practice. These seams necessarily leak, causing the need for constant inflation.
A further drawback associated with this and other inflatable or ventilated obstacle or bunker designs is that the inflatable or ventilated obstacles or bunkers are secured or anchored to the ground by way of non-elastic fastening means such as steel cables or ropes. To anchor or secure the obstacles to the ground, the non-elastic cables or ropes are typically threaded about the inflatable or ventilated obstacle, and then extended downward towards an anchor or anchor-enabling means. The anchor or anchor-enabling means may be in the form of at least one stake driven though at least one stake-receiving structure, which stake-receiving structure may be integrally formed with the inflatable or ventilated obstacle (e.g. an eyelet) or be a separate structure cooperatively associated with the inflatable or ventilated obstacle. The stakes may be driven into the ground and the non-elastic cables or ropes may then secured to the stakes. By thus staking the inflatable or ventilated obstacle to the ground, it will be readily understood that the inflatable or ventilated obstacle may thus be firmly secured or anchored to the ground. Alternativley, the stakes may be driven through stake-receiving eyelets or the like, which stake-receiving eyelets are typically formed from non-elastic materials so as to provide more stable anchoring means. In either event, it will be seen that the inflatable or ventilated obstacles or bunkers may be rigidly affixed or anchored to the ground.
However, rigidly affixing or anchoring the inflatable or ventilated bunkers or obstacles to the ground has proven to be a safety hazard in paintball playing fields. For example, when players collide with or impact upon rigidly anchored inflatable or ventilated bunkers or obstacles, the aforementioned anchoring systems tend to hold the inflatable or ventilated bunker or obstacle stationary. A player's collision or impact upon a stationary bunker or obstacle results in increased forces (via drastically increased deceleration) upon a player's body, which forces may cause discomfort or injury to the player. This absolute resistance results in an instantaneous cessation of movement (large, damage-inflicting negative acceleration), which in turn can cause great bodily harm.
Notably, elastic anchoring means are disclosed in somewhat related art. In this regard, the reader is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,795 ('795 patent), which issued to Long et al., and which discloses a Quick-Erecting Tent. The '795 patent teaches a quick-erecting tent comprising a collapsible frame and a canopy that is slidably connected to a frame. When the tent is erected, male and female structures will mate. These structures can be fastened together to prevent the tent from collapsing inadvertently. Stake rings are attached to the canopy using an elastic connection. In this last regard, the '795 patent teaches elastic span 44A as may be seen from an inspection of FIG. 13B. Elastic span 44A can be disposed at each corner of a tent between a tent support leg-receiving opening 45 and a stake-receiving ring 47. This design permits the bottom end of each tent support leg 36 a modest degree of movement even though the tent corners may be otherwise staked in place. This design then contemplated that elastic spans 44A function to ease a user's efforts with which the tent may be erected and collapsed.
It will be seen from an inspection of the '795 patent, however, that elastic spans 44A do not function to withstand impact from persons or other matter colliding therewith or impacting thereupon. Rather, elastic spans 44A function to allow a degree of “wiggle room” at the regions adjacent the ground interface of the tent support legs so that installation (or collapsing) of the tent may be achieved with greater ease. It will be further noted that tent passersby typically do not collide with or otherwise impact upon tent walls and thus elastic spans 44A are not designed to withstand bodily impact of passersby or of persons deliberately colliding with the tent walls.
It will thus be seen that the prior art needs an inflatable or ventilated bunker or obstacle system comprising individual, stand-alone inflatable or ventilated bunkers or obstacles, which bunkers or obstacles may be elastically anchored to the ground so that players moving (often with great momentum) around the bunkers or obstacles may more safely collide or impact the elastically anchored bunkers or obstacles. In this regard, it is contemplated that impact-resistant, stand-alone inflatable (or ventilated) bunkers or obstacles are to be preferred over continuous obstacles systems. It will be recalled that continuous obstacle systems comprise path-obstructing structures, which often cause players to trip or become injured while traveling at rapid speeds in and around obstacle laden playing fields. Further, it will be recalled that impact-resistant or elastically anchored obstacles or bunkers are to be preferred over rigidly-anchored obstacle or bunker installations. It will be noted that playing fields situated in wooded areas necessarily comprise a great number of rigidly-anchored obstacles (i.e. trees). However, in this regard, it will be further noted that portable, temporary (artificial) playing fields may often preferred to playing fields situated in wooded areas for any number of reasons, not the lease of which is safety as heretofore described. Trees are rigid obstacles. Players impacting upon trees are often injured in the process. Further, trees are relatively permanently fixed in the growing area and provide no portability (under normal circumstances). Other shortcomings will readily be understood by those skilled in the art and thus it is believed that an exhaustive listing of the advantages of artificial playing fields over natural playing fields is not necessary.
Thus, it will be seen that the prior art perceives a need for self-contained manifold-free inflatable or ventilated bunker for use in a paintball, airsoft or projectile sports arena or playing field to provide a safe playing field for players. The prior art further perceives a need for an inflatable or ventilated bunker (or obstacle) and impact dampening anchor system that is portable, easy to use and does not require a constant supply of air to remain inflated. Further, the prior art perceives a need for an inflatable or ventilated bunker (or obstacle) and impact dampening anchor system combination to absorb the impact forces resulting from player collisions so as to minimize bodily injury. The prior art further perceives a need for an inflatable or ventilated bunker system kit that provides all of the necessary equipment to erect a playing field in one package.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained manifold-free inflatable bunker for use in a paintball, airsoft or projectile sports arena or playing field to provide a safe hiding place for players. It is another object of the present invention to provide an inflatable bunker and impact dampening anchor system that is portable, easy to use and does not require a constant supply of air to remain inflated. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an inflatable bunker and impact dampening anchor system combination to absorb the forces of an impact during a collision to minimize bodily injury. In this regard, it is contemplated that the current inflatable bunker systems is constructed from relatively heavy Ultraviolet (UV)-resistant fabrics which endure abuse and abrasion from normal wear and tear. Further, the seams are welded with hot air, literally melting the bonded seams which are then press-rolled together while molten. This seam sealing system is superior to zippered and taped seaming as taught by the Hamet disclosure(s).
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an inflatable bunker system kit that provides all of the necessary equipment to erect a playing field in one package. Other objects and features will become readily apparent when the disclosure is read in combination with the drawings and appended claims.